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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. branch — a division
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. clip — for paper
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — a video
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. mug — a face
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mug — to rob
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. clip — to cut
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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