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

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bass — the fish
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — a safe
  8. file — a document
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — for a lock
  13. row — a line
  14. key — in music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tear — to rip
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bass — low music

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