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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: vault · dip · pitch · club · clip · racket · present · leaves

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. present — there
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. club — for dancing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — a group
  9. present — the time now
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. dip — to sink
  20. vault — a safe
  21. club — for golf
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitch — completely
  24. dip — a sauce

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