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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — all right
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fine — high quality
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bound — obliged
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — certain
  21. scale — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — for baseball
  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