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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: tear · spring · ball · cue · vault · rule · cabinet · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cue — for pool
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. key — in music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — a coil
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. cue — a signal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — a hint

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