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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — a video
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fine — all right
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — to cut

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