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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — in sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. tear — to rip
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — to be able to
  18. season — of the year
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — on the skin

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