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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. object — an aim
  4. vault — a safe
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rest — a break
  11. object — to protest
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — a video
  15. object — a thing
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — a trace
  18. clip — to cut
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — a weight
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pound — for dogs

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