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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · key · vault · shower · club · mark · leaves · row

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hand — help
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — in cards
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. row — a line
  13. key — the most important part
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mark — a grade
  19. key — for a lock
  20. shower — to wash
  21. club — a group
  22. key — in music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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