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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. court — for sport
  3. clip — a video
  4. fall — the season
  5. clip — to cut
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — of a king
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spring — the season
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spring — a coil
  23. court — of law
  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