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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. charge — electricity
  3. swing — to play on
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — a skill
  8. face — to confront
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. vault — a safe
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — for paper
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — a trail
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. swing — music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. swing — in golf
  24. face — to point toward

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