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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. suit — in cards
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. suit — to fit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — clothes
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — from a university
  10. scale — size or range
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — a country
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. vault — a safe
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — an amount
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. scale — in music

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