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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. kid — child
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — a group
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for golf
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — a break
  23. club — for dancing
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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