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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. object — to protest
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. band — a music group
  6. can — to be able to
  7. season — of the year
  8. object — an aim
  9. clip — a video
  10. season — in sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. object — a thing
  14. fall — the season
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — a safe
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — a hole
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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