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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a document
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — a safe

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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