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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: suit · club · hand · vault · root · charge · clip · bay

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. clip — a video
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. suit — in cards
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hand — help
  7. club — for golf
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. charge — electricity
  10. suit — clothes
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. charge — a price
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. club — for dancing
  18. clip — to cut
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — of a word
  22. suit — to fit
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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