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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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Word bank
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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: key · dip · roll · face · vault · track

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. 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. dip — to dunk
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. roll — a cake
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. face — part of the head
  10. key — in music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. face — to confront
  15. dip — to sink
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. track — a song
  18. 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