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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pop — soda
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pop — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. pit — in a race
  10. vault — a safe
  11. object — a thing
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cue — a signal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. clip — a video
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pit — a hole
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cue — for pool

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