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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 120 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: key · ground · capital · chip · vault · snap · wind · race

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. vault — a safe
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. race — humankind
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chip — for betting
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — the most important part
  16. snap — to click
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. race — the arms race
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — a contest
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a city
  24. ground — a position

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