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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — to get on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. board — a committee
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — low music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tear — to rip

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