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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — a subject
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. field — farmland
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a great time
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. tear — to rip
  24. squash — the sport

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