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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. prune — to trim
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ground — the earth
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — in music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — a position
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. roll — a list
  18. field — a subject
  19. key — the most important part
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — farmland
  22. fork — in a road
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chip — to eat

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