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

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pop — soda
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rule — a law
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. spring — a coil
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. key — in music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. rule — government

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