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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. drill — a practice
  7. branch — a division
  8. vault — a safe
  9. drill — army training
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — happy
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. clip — for paper
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. clip — to cut

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