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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — a safe
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mark — a trace
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — a grade
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ball — a dance
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. key — in music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. capital — money
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ball — a great time
  22. club — a group
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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