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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mug — a cup
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mug — a face
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. clip — to cut
  15. vault — a safe
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — a video
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wound — an injury

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