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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. track — a song
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a path
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. vault — a safe
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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