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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a grade
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — a publisher
  15. firm — decided
  16. capital — money
  17. clip — for paper
  18. press — to push
  19. firm — steady
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. firm — a company
  24. arm — part of the body

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