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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. clip — a video
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. track — to keep track
  8. clip — for paper
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — child
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kick — in football
  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