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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitch — completely
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — a tin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. can — to be able to
  22. clip — for paper
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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