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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — for digging
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — a path
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. march — the month
  12. clip — for paper
  13. march — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rock — music
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. track — to keep track

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