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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 120 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: race · tube · vault · content · present · sharp · racket · clip

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — clever
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. race — a contest
  7. present — there
  8. race — humankind
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tube — a container
  12. clip — to cut
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. race — the arms race
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. present — a gift
  19. clip — for paper
  20. content — happy
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. clip — a video
  24. content — the amount

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