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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.

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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: clip · charge · vault · bay · hand · race · straw · rush

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. vault — a safe
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. charge — a price
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. charge — in control
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rush — hurry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. race — a contest
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — in cards
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. race — the arms race

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