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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hand — in cards
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cold — not warm
  9. hand — help
  10. cold — an illness
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — the tool

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