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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a line of people
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pit — in a race
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a document
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — a hole

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