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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: vault · clip · wake · pit · squash · suit · file · club

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. vault — a safe
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pit — a hole
  7. clip — a video
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — to cut
  10. squash — to crush
  11. suit — in cards
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — a trail

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