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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — for paper
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rock — a stone
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rock — music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — a video
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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