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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: can · chest · vault · clip · pit · leaves · mouse · calf

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — a hole
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. clip — to cut
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. vault — a safe
  19. can — a tin
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. clip — for paper
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. calf — of the leg

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