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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: vault · rush · dip · pitcher · trunk · clip · content · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. rush — hurry
  3. vault — a safe
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. content — happy
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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