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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · ball · vault · cold · bore · track · tear · mug

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — for digging
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. track — to keep track
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bore — to drill
  19. track — a song
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bore — gave birth

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