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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. net — for catching
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — obliged
  8. vault — a safe
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. clip — to cut
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. field — farmland
  15. kick — in football
  16. net — in sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — a video
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — certain

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