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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 · key · cold · content · rock · bound · foot · row

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rock — music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. vault — a safe
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bound — certain
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — an illness
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bound — obliged
  16. row — a line
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. content — the amount
  19. key — in music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. key — for a lock
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cold — not warm

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