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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — to go on
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — finally
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. pass — a permit
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — a safe
  18. last — final
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bore — to drill

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