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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. vault — a safe
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lie — to recline
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a dance
  14. scale — in music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. toast — bread
  23. clip — a video
  24. lie — an untruth

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