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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 124 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. shower — rain
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rule — a law
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. calf — a young animal

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