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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bass — low music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rest — a break
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. key — in music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — the fish
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cell — in biology
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cell — a phone

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