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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rest — what's left
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rest — a break
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — magic
  18. cell — a phone
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fan — to cool the air

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