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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cell — in biology
  7. drill — army training
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. drill — a practice
  10. vault — a safe
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — a group
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ball — a dance
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spring — the season
  19. club — for golf
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spring — a coil
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spring — of water
  24. club — for dancing

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