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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — to cut
  7. can — a tin
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — in golf
  15. can — to be able to
  16. game — a match
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bound — obliged
  19. content — the amount
  20. bound — certain
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. content — happy
  24. rush — 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