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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 120 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: clip · wind · snap · vault · rush · cap · perch · mouse

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. snap — to click
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cap — a lid

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