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

Word bank: bowl · tear · straw · vault · rest · object · content · kick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rest — a break
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — the amount
  12. tear — to rip
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. object — to protest
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. content — happy
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. straw — dry grass

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