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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. march — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — to rip
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rash — hasty
  10. field — a subject
  11. bore — to drill
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. vault — a safe
  20. field — farmland
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. march — the month

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