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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: net · clip · march · can · vault · cold · ruler · present

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. net — in sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. present — a gift
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — a video
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cold — not warm
  15. can — a tin
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — a safe

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