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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. clip — a video
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to point toward
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — after costs
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. capital — money
  14. face — to confront
  15. capital — a city
  16. present — there
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bass — low music
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — for paper

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