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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · vault · wound · swing · spring · key · face · dip

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to confront
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spring — of water
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — music
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spring — a coil
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bat — the animal
  24. key — the most important part

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