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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. content — happy
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. content — the amount
  7. bass — low music
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. court — of a king
  13. charge — in control
  14. key — the most important part
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rock — a stone
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. court — for sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. key — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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