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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: fork · rest · race · key · clip · staff · ground · vault

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. key — for a lock
  6. vault — a safe
  7. clip — to cut
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ground — a position
  14. clip — for paper
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. key — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ground — the earth

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