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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: clip · chest · key · stock · rock · vault · kick · suit

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. vault — a safe
  4. key — for a lock
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. suit — clothes
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. suit — in cards
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. suit — to fit
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stock — goods
  19. clip — for paper
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stock — shares
  24. chest — a box

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