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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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Word bank
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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 · vault · safe · land · key · date · bore · fall

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — to cut
  9. date — the fruit
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — to drop
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. land — ground
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to drill
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fall — the season

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