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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. vault — a safe
  4. club — a group
  5. clip — a video
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. club — for dancing
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mine — for digging
  16. club — for golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pound — a weight
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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