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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pit — a hole
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bound — certain
  10. bank — for money
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ground — a position
  13. bank — for money
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — a safe
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pit — in a race
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ground — the earth
  24. clip — a video

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