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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — to rip
  9. saw — the tool
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kick — in football
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tear — from crying

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