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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: court · pound · perch · vault · pass · clip · mouse · chest

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chest — a box
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. court — of law
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. clip — to cut
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chest — of your body
  18. clip — a video
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. court — for sport
  23. pass — a permit
  24. court — of a king

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