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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: vault · capital · kick · face · key · snap · game · stock

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — a match
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — wild animals
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. kick — in football
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. key — the most important part
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. capital — money
  18. key — for a lock
  19. capital — a city
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stock — shares
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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