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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 · pop · calf · deal · bore · clip · cell · key

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. key — in music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cell — a phone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — in biology
  12. clip — for paper
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pop — music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. clip — a video
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pop — to visit
  24. calf — a young animal

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