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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 120 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — in music
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — obliged
  11. plane — a tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bear — the animal
  14. vault — a safe
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bear — the animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tear — to rip
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a line of people
  24. plane — in geometry

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