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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. last — final
  3. stem — to come from
  4. clip — a video
  5. mug — a face
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. track — a song
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. track — a path
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. last — finally
  19. track — to keep track
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — a safe

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