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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — the cause
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. chest — a box
  9. root — of a word
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pass — a permit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. root — of a plant
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. club — for golf
  21. chair — a leader
  22. club — a group
  23. drill — army training
  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