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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: vault · squash · clip · pit · cell · foot · bear · leaves

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. squash — to crush
  10. clip — a video
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cell — a phone
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — a measure

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