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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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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: vault · march · clip · safe · chip · court · hide · mouse

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. clip — a video
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. court — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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