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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. clip — a video
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — in a road
  7. ground — crushed
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. scale — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. craft — boats
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bear — to put up with

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