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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 116 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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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: kid · court · vault · pit · bank · clip · pass · drill

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. vault — a safe
  8. court — of a king
  9. kid — child
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. clip — to cut
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. drill — the tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. drill — army training
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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