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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. can — to be able to
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. clip — to cut
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — a tin
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. scale — in music
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. clip — for paper
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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