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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: safe · snap · chest · club · net · tube · vault · kick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — the underground
  9. chest — a box
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. snap — to click
  15. net — in sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tube — a container
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — for dancing
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — of your body

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