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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: wave · press · pass · club · clip · sharp · vault · racket

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. club — a group
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. press — to push
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pass — a permit
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. press — a publisher
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — a safe

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