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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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — a safe
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pit — in a race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wake — a trail
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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