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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — to cut
  4. content — the amount
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rest — what's left
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. clip — a video
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. present — a gift
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. clip — for paper
  21. present — there
  22. fall — the season
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — of a tree

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