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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: staff · snap · march · wound · swing · vault · club · kid

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. swing — music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. swing — to play on
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kid — child
  11. march — the month
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — a safe
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. staff — employees
  18. swing — in golf
  19. march — music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to click

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