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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
468
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: key · last · field · leaves · clip · vault · board · court

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — the most important part
  4. board — to get on
  5. clip — a video
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — to go on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. last — final
  16. vault — a safe
  17. last — finally
  18. field — a subject
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — for sport
  23. key — in music
  24. clip — for paper

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