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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — the season
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — to recline
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lean — to bend
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lean — thin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. season — to add flavour

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