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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — boats
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — for paper
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. field — a subject
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rule — government
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rule — a law
  21. vault — a safe
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — for sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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