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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · vault · march · game · rush · nail · cold · capital

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cold — not warm
  3. key — the most important part
  4. march — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — hurry
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. march — the month
  13. capital — a city
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — for a lock
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — money
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — in music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — a match
  24. cold — an illness

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