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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: shower · mug · vault · bear · chair · pop · toast · tear

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pop — to visit
  8. shower — rain
  9. toast — bread
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. shower — to wash
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mug — a face
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pop — soda
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pop — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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