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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pop — music
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kid — child
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tear — to rip
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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