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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — to rip
  9. vault — a safe
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fork — to eat with

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