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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pit — in a race
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. season — in sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. season — of the year
  20. pit — a hole
  21. clip — to cut
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — to add flavour

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