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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: court · vault · bound · snap · staff · pit · pass · plane

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. staff — a stick
  4. court — of law
  5. pass — a permit
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. court — for sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pit — a hole
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — obliged
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bound — certain
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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