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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: club · dip · safe · vault · coach · tear · land · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. club — for golf
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — a group
  7. land — a country
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. land — ground
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. vault — a safe
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. file — a tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a document
  22. club — for dancing
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — to rip

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