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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pop — music
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. object — to protest
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pop — soda
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — a video
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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