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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — to rip
  3. vault — a safe
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bank — for money
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stock — shares
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — bread
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bank — of a river
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bank — for money
  24. lie — an untruth

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