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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. clip — for paper
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. clip — a video
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kid — child
  24. nail — for a hammer

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