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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — to fit
  4. net — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. net — for catching
  19. suit — clothes
  20. net — after costs
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — to grow
  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