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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mark — a trace
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. vault — a safe

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