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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pass — a permit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. track — a song
  8. key — in music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. march — music
  16. root — the cause
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. track — a path
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fine — high quality
  23. root — of a word
  24. march — the month

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