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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. scale — in music
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. key — in music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. cell — in biology
  16. capital — a city
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. key — for a lock
  21. vault — a safe
  22. capital — money
  23. key — the most important part
  24. scale — size or range

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