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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: spell · file · vault · key · game · mate · prune · field

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a line of people
  3. key — for a lock
  4. field — farmland
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. key — in music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spell — letters
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. field — a subject
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — magic
  20. mate — to breed
  21. field — for sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mate — a partner
  24. prune — to trim

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