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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — help
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — final
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — to protest
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rule — government
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. last — to go on
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bark — to shout
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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