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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mark — a trace
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mark — a grade
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. board — a committee
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. snap — to click
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — a video
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. vault — a safe

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