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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — a group
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a music group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bound — obliged
  13. club — for golf
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a song
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. track — to keep track

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