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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 · bear · roll · cabinet · mine · bat · vault · fork

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mine — for digging
  8. key — for a lock
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. key — in music
  23. vault — a safe
  24. roll — a list

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