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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. vault — a safe
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. band — a music group
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pit — in a race
  21. band — a ring
  22. pit — a hole
  23. key — in music
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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