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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · vault · hide · march · arm · clip · staff · fall

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — the season
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — a safe
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — a break
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — a stick
  17. march — music
  18. clip — a video
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — to keep secret

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