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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rule — a law
  8. cold — not warm
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. hand — help
  22. rule — government
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wave — of the sea

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