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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: key · club · vault · object · hand · safe · court · lash

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. object — a thing
  3. key — for a lock
  4. hand — help
  5. court — for sport
  6. club — a group
  7. key — in music
  8. court — of law
  9. club — for golf
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — in cards
  12. club — for dancing
  13. object — an aim
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of a king
  21. vault — a safe
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. object — to protest

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