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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — a video
  5. kid — child
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. clip — for paper
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. vault — a safe
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. plane — an aircraft

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