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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. clip — a video
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. last — finally
  9. tear — from crying
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. vault — a safe
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. clip — for paper
  24. coach — a trainer

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