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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — a video
  8. bulb — for light
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. band — a music group
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fall — the season
  19. vault — a safe
  20. clip — to cut
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a dance

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