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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chest — a box
  3. field — farmland
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — in music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — high quality
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chip — to eat
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. chip — for betting
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. field — for sport
  18. vault — a safe
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fine — all right
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. jam — a tight spot

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