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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. clip — a video
  3. stem — to come from
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. date — the fruit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. clip — to cut
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — a song
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. clip — for paper
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. board — to get on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bowl — a dish

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