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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — a video
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. field — a subject
  7. clip — for paper
  8. field — farmland
  9. mate — a friend
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cap — of ice
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. cap — a lid
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mate — to breed
  22. foot — a measure
  23. field — for sport
  24. squash — to crush

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