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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pit — a hole
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. last — final
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. last — finally
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — a video
  24. cue — a signal

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