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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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468
Word bank
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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — certain
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — a line
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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