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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. vault — a safe
  3. face — part of the head
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mark — a grade
  6. face — to confront
  7. clip — a video
  8. object — an aim
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. face — to point toward
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. object — to protest
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. shower — rain
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. object — a thing
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mark — a trace
  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