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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 116 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: kid · bat · clip · pass · chip · rash · vault · can

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — for betting
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — to tease
  17. clip — to cut
  18. vault — a safe
  19. clip — a video
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rash — on the skin

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