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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — a video
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. board — a committee
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. board — to get on
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. kid — child
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mate — a partner
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — for paper

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