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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — a video
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fine — all right
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — high quality
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. dip — to dunk

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