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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. land — a country
  4. vault — a safe
  5. key — the most important part
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mark — a trace
  9. key — in music
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. field — farmland
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bore — to drill
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — for sport
  20. land — ground
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. clip — a video
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a grade

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