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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. current — of water
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rest — what's left
  6. vault — a safe
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — a video
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — electric
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rest — a break
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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