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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hand — in cards
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. clip — for paper
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. clip — a video
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rule — government
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. clip — to cut
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. vault — a safe
  15. charge — a price
  16. cell — a phone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. charge — electricity
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. charge — in control

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