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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: game · clip · vault · kick · coach · sharp · shower · fan

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. game — wild animals
  9. clip — a video
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. kick — in football
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — to cut

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