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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. sharp — clever
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. clip — to cut
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pit — in a race
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — a match

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