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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: racket · clip · mug · dip · face · vault · rest · wind

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — a video
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to confront
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — to point toward
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — a face
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mug — to rob
  16. vault — a safe
  17. face — part of the head
  18. dip — to sink
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rest — what's left

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