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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: kick · cell · object · last · present · clip · vault · bear

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. clip — for paper
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. kick — in football
  5. last — finally
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. object — an aim
  8. present — there
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cell — in biology
  11. clip — to cut
  12. object — to protest
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. clip — a video
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. present — a gift
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bear — the animal
  19. present — the time now
  20. last — final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. object — a thing

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