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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: wind · tube · clip · swing · vault · last · game · safe

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — to cut
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a match
  8. tube — the underground
  9. clip — a video
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. clip — for paper
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. last — final
  24. wind — moving air

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