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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: spring · cell · cap · vault · rest · key · sharp · fall

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rest — a break
  4. cap — a lid
  5. key — for a lock
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. cap — a hat
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spring — the season
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. key — in music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. sharp — exactly

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