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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: jam · bark · vault · mate · club · safe · kid · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — ground
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. vault — a safe
  7. club — a group
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. club — for golf
  10. kid — child
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mate — a friend
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — for dancing
  17. land — a country
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — to tease
  24. jam — a tight spot

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