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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pop — to visit
  7. court — of a king
  8. clip — to cut
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. court — for sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pop — music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. vault — a safe
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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