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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. face — part of the head
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — to be able to
  5. vault — a safe
  6. content — the amount
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to confront
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. clip — to cut
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pop — music
  14. game — a match
  15. pop — soda
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. can — a tin
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pop — to visit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. content — happy
  23. clip — a video
  24. game — a kind of play

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