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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. vault — a safe
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. suit — to fit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. suit — in cards
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. date — the fruit
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — a video

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