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

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — to go on
  7. object — a thing
  8. kick — in football
  9. pit — in a race
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. key — in music
  13. last — final
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. last — finally

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