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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: court · lean · tube · can · vault · clip · file · rock

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tube — a container
  5. court — of law
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. vault — a safe
  10. clip — a video
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. lean — thin
  15. rock — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rock — a stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. file — a document

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