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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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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: mate · clip · current · club · vault · suit · kid · rule

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — to fit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — a partner
  5. clip — for paper
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rule — a law
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. rule — government
  11. kid — child
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. vault — a safe
  18. club — for golf
  19. suit — in cards
  20. club — a group
  21. mate — a friend
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — to tease
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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