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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: cell · mate · roll · present · rock · vault · tear · foot

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rock — a stone
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. rock — music
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. foot — a measure
  9. vault — a safe
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tear — to rip
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mate — a partner
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. present — the time now
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. roll — a list

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