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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — a video
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. land — ground
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pitch — completely
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mate — a friend

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