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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. clip — to cut
  11. vault — a safe
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. current — of water
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. racket — for tennis

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