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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — a video
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. object — to protest
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. vault — a safe
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mine — for digging
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — for paper
  19. court — of a king
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fine — all right
  23. fall — the season
  24. fine — high quality

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