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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — to recline
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. drill — army training
  7. clip — a video
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spell — magic
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — to cut
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. drill — a practice
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — the tool

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