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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — to keep track
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pop — to visit
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. clip — for paper
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — army training
  16. fine — all right
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pop — soda
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a path

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