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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: mine · face · deal · club · key · rush · vault · bat

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to confront
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rush — hurry
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. key — in music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — an agreement

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