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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. staff — employees
  3. charge — in control
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. content — happy
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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