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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 116 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 · cell · key · club · bay · wax · court · spell

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. court — for sport
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. court — of law
  8. wax — to grow
  9. club — for dancing
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. club — a group
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — in music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. court — of a king
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. key — for a lock
  20. club — for golf
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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