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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: nail · tube · straw · kid · key · staff · face · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — a stick
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tube — a container
  11. key — for a lock
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — to confront
  15. vault — a safe
  16. tube — the underground
  17. face — to point toward
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. staff — employees
  24. nail — on a finger

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