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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. club — a group
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. firm — decided
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. club — for golf
  16. firm — steady
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chair — a leader
  19. vault — a safe
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chair — to sit on

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