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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: nail · court · snap · clip · vault · cue · foot · racket

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. foot — a measure
  3. vault — a safe
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cue — a hint
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cue — for pool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. court — of a king
  23. cue — a signal
  24. court — of law

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