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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. file — a tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. file — a line of people
  13. clip — a video
  14. vault — a safe
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — a professorship

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