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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ball — a great time
  7. capital — money
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. key — for a lock
  12. capital — a city
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — a division
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. key — in music
  22. rule — government
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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