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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. file — a tool
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wake — a trail
  8. file — a document
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pound — a weight
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. key — for a lock
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. can — a tin
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. key — in music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — before a funeral

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