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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a ring
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — to tease
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — to visit
  14. band — a music group
  15. kid — child
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — a safe
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. staff — a stick

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