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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. clip — for paper
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — a country
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — a safe
  12. present — a gift
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. present — the time now
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — a trace
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. suit — clothes
  21. land — ground
  22. bass — the fish
  23. present — there
  24. mark — to pay attention

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