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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 124 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — a law
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — a company
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. vault — a safe
  12. firm — steady
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — for paper
  21. firm — decided
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — a trail

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