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

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — final
  7. clip — for paper
  8. vault — a safe
  9. clip — to cut
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chip — for betting
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — finally
  18. arm — a part of something

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