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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. object — to protest
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. staff — a stick
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — a break
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — a country
  14. tear — to rip
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. last — finally
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — ground
  24. object — an aim

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