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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. track — a song
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. track — a path
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. can — to be able to
  24. vault — a safe

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