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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — a video
  4. net — after costs
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. key — for a lock
  7. file — a document
  8. clip — for paper
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cell — a phone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. file — a tool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — in biology
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. key — in music
  20. net — in sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. file — a line of people
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — for catching

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