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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. key — in music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. snap — to click
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stand — to bear
  23. key — the most important part
  24. roll — on a roll

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