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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 120 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. track — a song
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — rain
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — to handle
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cue — a signal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. track — to keep track
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cue — for pool

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