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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: charge · leaves · vault · clip · rule · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. charge — electricity
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rule — government
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. charge — in control
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. charge — a price
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — to go away

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