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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. key — in music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pop — music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spring — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — of water
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pop — soda

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