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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rule — government
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — the season
  10. track — a song
  11. tear — to rip
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — for pool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rule — a law
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a path
  19. hand — help
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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