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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — a video
  6. land — to come down
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pit — in a race
  9. land — a country
  10. scale — in music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bat — the animal
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pop — soda
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. land — ground
  24. fine — all right

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