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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: tear · jam · foot · straw · vault · toast · capital · key

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. key — for a lock
  3. capital — money
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. capital — a city
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tear — to rip
  12. foot — a measure
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. vault — a safe
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. key — the most important part
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. toast — bread
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. tear — from crying

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