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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: chest · clip · pass · jam · vault · bank · rule · calf

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chest — of your body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rule — government
  17. pass — a permit
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bank — for money
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bank — for money
  23. rule — a law
  24. pass — to spend time

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