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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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Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. field — a subject
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. key — in music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. field — farmland
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pound — a weight
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. field — for sport
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rest — a break

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