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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
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: key · vault · file · shower · pitcher · bark · board · court

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a document
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. board — to get on
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. key — in music
  13. board — a committee
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — rain
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. court — for sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pitcher — a jug

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