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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 120 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: clip · court · tube · wound · vault · ground · suit · charge

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. tube — a container
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — for sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — for paper
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. ground — the earth
  10. vault — a safe
  11. suit — to fit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — clothes
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ground — a position
  17. tube — the underground
  18. court — of a king
  19. charge — in control
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ground — crushed
  22. suit — in cards
  23. charge — electricity
  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