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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: pit · clip · march · bulb · mate · calf · vault · staff

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. calf — of the leg
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pit — a hole
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bulb — for light
  17. staff — employees
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pit — in a race
  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