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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. spring — a coil
  6. clip — to cut
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ground — a position
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pass — a permit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rash — hasty
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pass — to succeed

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