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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — to come down
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bound — certain
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. vault — a safe
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stand — to bear
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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