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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — a container
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — a safe
  8. clip — a video
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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