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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: spell · bat · key · game · vault · pop · saw · capital

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. spell — a short time
  6. key — the most important part
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spell — magic
  15. capital — a city
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spell — letters
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — money
  24. key — in music

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