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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — for digging
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a path
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. track — to keep track
  10. deal — to handle
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — a big deal

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