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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 120 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: can · vault · file · foot · club · safe · clip · kick

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. clip — a video
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. kick — in football
  10. clip — to cut
  11. club — a group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. can — to be able to
  14. club — for golf
  15. vault — a safe
  16. file — a line of people
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. file — a document
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. can — a tin
  24. kick — with a leg

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