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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: vault · arm · march · plane · capital · key · rest · spell

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. march — music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. plane — a tool
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. key — the most important part
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — a break
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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