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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — to play on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — a video
  9. swing — in golf
  10. vault — a safe
  11. swing — music
  12. march — music
  13. season — of the year
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rest — a break
  21. march — the month
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rest — what's left
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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