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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · present · plane · mine · vault · clip · pitcher · foot

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. clip — to cut
  15. plane — a tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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