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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · object · tube · court · safe · mine · clip · perch

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. vault — a safe
  3. court — of a king
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. perch — the fish
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — a container
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. object — to protest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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