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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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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: club · vault · track · face · fan · pop · chair · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. club — for golf
  3. pop — soda
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pop — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a leader
  8. face — to confront
  9. track — a path
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a song
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. club — a group
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — part of the head
  24. track — to keep track

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