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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rule — government
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — of a word
  12. clip — to cut
  13. season — in sport
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. root — the cause
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rule — a law
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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