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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. vault — a safe
  9. clip — a video
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — of the year
  14. wake — a trail
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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