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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. clip — to cut
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. season — of the year
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. season — in sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tear — to rip
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. arm — part of the body

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