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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. land — a country
  3. rush — hurry
  4. land — to come down
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mark — a trace
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mark — a grade
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. clip — a video
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wake — a trail
  23. land — ground
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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