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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: toast · firm · leaves · key · clip · vault · fan · march

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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 — a video
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. key — for a lock
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. firm — a company
  8. march — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — a safe
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. firm — steady
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. key — in music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. firm — decided
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — the month
  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