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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: ground · vault · club · clip · firm · kick · straw · wake

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ground — a position
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wake — a trail
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. ground — the earth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ground — crushed
  13. clip — to cut
  14. firm — decided
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — for paper
  17. firm — steady
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — a video
  20. firm — a company
  21. club — for golf
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. straw — a straw man

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