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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.

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: court · squash · leaves · clip · fan · vault · bat · tube

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. vault — a safe
  6. tube — a container
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. court — for sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. clip — a video
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. court — of law
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — the sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — lets stay

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