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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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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — for pool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — a container
  12. rush — hurry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chest — a box
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cue — a hint
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. vault — a safe
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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