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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 · swing · season · snap · track · band · firm · safe

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a ring
  4. firm — decided
  5. band — a music group
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. vault — a safe
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. swing — music
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. swing — to play on
  18. snap — to click
  19. track — a path
  20. firm — steady
  21. track — to keep track
  22. season — of the year
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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