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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. tear — from crying
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. dip — to sink
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. capital — a city
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. capital — money
  22. tear — to rip
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tear — from crying

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