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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. vault — a safe
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — to go on
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to click
  19. mug — a cup
  20. spell — magic
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — a face
  24. last — final

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