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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. suit — clothes
  7. clip — to cut
  8. last — finally
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fine — high quality
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitch — completely
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fine — all right
  18. hand — help
  19. suit — in cards
  20. vault — a safe
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. last — final

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