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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — a container
  4. vault — a safe
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. board — to get on
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. board — a committee
  18. chair — a leader
  19. scale — in music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tear — to rip
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. tube — the underground

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