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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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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 · cabinet · vault · foot · plane · straw · pitch · date

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. key — in music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitch — completely
  21. date — the fruit
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitch — a sports field

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