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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. object — to protest
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. season — of the year
  7. vault — a safe
  8. clip — to cut
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. object — an aim
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. band — a ring
  13. kick — in football
  14. object — a thing
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. band — a music group
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — to handle
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kick — a thrill

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