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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pop — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. scale — size or range
  9. net — for catching
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — in sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. drill — army training
  16. clip — for paper
  17. scale — in music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. clip — a video
  21. pop — to visit
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. net — after costs
  24. vault — a safe

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