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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — to cut
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. clip — a video
  14. bear — the animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pit — in a race
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cap — a lid
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cap — of ice

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