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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. swing — to play on
  7. object — an aim
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. clip — to cut
  10. object — to protest
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a signal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. tube — a container
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tear — from crying
  18. swing — in golf
  19. current — happening now
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. clip — a video
  24. swing — music

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