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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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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: game · clip · mouse · foot · saw · fall · vault · lie

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — a video
  7. saw — the tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a match
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. lie — to recline
  13. game — wild animals
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. vault — a safe
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — to cut
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

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