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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: pit · leaves · object · vault · clip · charge · march · deal

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. charge — electricity
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — to cut
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. march — the month
  13. object — an aim
  14. march — music
  15. charge — in control
  16. object — a thing
  17. pit — a hole
  18. charge — a price
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pit — in a race
  21. deal — to handle
  22. clip — for paper
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — a video

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