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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: hand · vault · face · tube · rest · safe · key · bear

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. face — to confront
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hand — help
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rest — a break
  15. face — to point toward
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rest — what's left
  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