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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pit — a hole
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. clip — for paper
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pit — in a race

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