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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · clip · leaves · hand · cue · vault · cabinet · mine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cue — for pool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cue — a signal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. club — a group
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — a video
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. club — for golf
  24. mine — for digging

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