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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: tear · vault · bay · spring · bulb · court · key · chip

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. key — the most important part
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tear — to rip
  9. spring — of water
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. court — for sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. vault — a safe
  17. spring — the season
  18. court — of law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spring — a coil
  24. key — in music

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