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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cold — an illness
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — employees
  7. kick — in football
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. clip — a video
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. staff — a stick
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — to cut
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. staff — employees
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kick — a thrill

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