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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rule — government
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — there
  6. tear — from crying
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tear — to rip
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rule — a law
  14. present — the time now
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pass — a permit
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — a video
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pass — to spend time

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