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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — to handle
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. track — a path
  22. plane — a tool
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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