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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 120 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: kick · mine · content · cabinet · face · stem · club · vault

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for golf
  6. vault — a safe
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kick — in football
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. club — a group
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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