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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a partner
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lean — thin
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — a friend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — to bend
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — a video

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