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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 116 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 · land · dip · present · vault · clip · kick · field

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. clip — a video
  3. vault — a safe
  4. club — a group
  5. kick — in football
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. club — for golf
  8. land — a country
  9. field — a subject
  10. present — the time now
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. club — for dancing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. field — for sport
  19. clip — for paper
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. present — there
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — a gift

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