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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — to cut
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. vault — a safe
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — a video
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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