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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: vault · face · pass · key · club · wind · rock · board

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. face — to point toward
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. board — to get on
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a committee
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. face — to confront
  21. key — in music
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — moving air
  24. key — for a lock

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