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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spring — of water
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ground — a position
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spring — the season
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com