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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. last — to go on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — a box
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. vault — a safe
  9. clip — a video
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. last — finally
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. clip — to cut

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