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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. clip — for paper
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lie — to recline
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fork — in a road
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — a group
  23. clip — a video
  24. net — in sport

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