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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — a cake
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. plane — a tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rash — a series
  13. toast — bread
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. roll — a list
  18. rash — hasty
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wind — moving air
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — to cut

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