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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: vault · squash · foot · rash · can · rest · clip · arm

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. vault — a safe
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rest — what's left
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rash — a series
  11. can — a tin
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — to crush
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rest — a break
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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