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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. clip — to cut
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to point toward
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. face — to confront
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. clip — a video
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. court — for sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. court — of law
  17. pop — to visit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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