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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. clip — a video
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — rain
  8. cap — a hat
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mark — a grade
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mark — a trace
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — for sport
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  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