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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 116 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: cue · pit · capital · saw · vault · kid · key · track

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pit — in a race
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. track — a song
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cue — a signal
  11. key — in music
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. key — for a lock
  20. capital — money
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — child
  23. pit — a hole
  24. capital — a city

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