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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: vault · chair · snap · clip · bowl · kick · firm · wake

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. snap — to click
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. clip — for paper
  5. firm — decided
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. firm — steady
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chair — a leader
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kick — in football
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — to cut
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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