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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — a country
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — a video
  5. cap — a lid
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. land — to come down
  8. vault — a safe
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. court — for sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. sharp — clever
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cap — of ice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. land — ground
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. can — to be able to

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