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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. clip — a video
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — to cut
  24. file — a document

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