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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 124 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. rule — a law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. clip — for paper
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rule — government
  12. mark — a trace
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. spell — a short time
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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