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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: press · hide · key · club · capital · spring · file · vault

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. capital — money
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. spring — a coil
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. spring — of water
  15. club — for dancing
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. press — a publisher
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. club — a group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. key — the most important part
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — to push

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