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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: last · vault · nail · fork · club · firm · cell · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. club — a group
  4. last — final
  5. cell — in biology
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. firm — a company
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. vault — a safe
  10. club — for dancing
  11. last — finally
  12. club — for golf
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. firm — decided
  17. cell — a phone
  18. firm — steady
  19. fork — in a road
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — to go on
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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