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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. firm — decided
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. capital — a city
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. firm — a company
  11. capital — money
  12. firm — steady
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tear — to rip
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — rain
  18. sharp — clever
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. vault — a safe
  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