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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — to cut
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stand — for spectators

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