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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. present — the time now
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a great time
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. present — there
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a path
  18. net — in sport
  19. ball — a dance
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. net — after costs

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