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

Word bank: safe · face · stick · vault · clip · file · wind · wound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — to confront
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. file — a tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — to point toward
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. clip — a video
  17. face — part of the head
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — moving air
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — for paper
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — a strongbox

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