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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: pass · charge · bat · cue · chair · bark · clip · vault

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cue — for pool
  10. clip — a video
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. charge — a price
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bat — the animal
  22. charge — in control
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — to sit on

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