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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: fine · face · key · straw · snap · vault · march · roll

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fine — high quality
  6. snap — to click
  7. face — part of the head
  8. vault — a safe
  9. key — the most important part
  10. roll — a list
  11. face — to confront
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to point toward
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fine — all right

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