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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bound — certain
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. squash — to crush
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. vault — a safe
  7. row — a line
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bound — obliged
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chair — a leader
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. key — for a lock
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — the sport
  21. key — in music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. squash — the vegetable

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