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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — a video
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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