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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: clip · mate · chip · club · pitch · vault · bulb · foot

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. club — for golf
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chip — to eat
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — to cut
  12. club — a group
  13. foot — a measure
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chip — for betting
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. club — for dancing

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