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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — a position
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. tear — to rip
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. tear — from crying
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — the earth

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