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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fall — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spring — the season
  19. cue — for pool
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pass — a permit
  23. key — in music
  24. clip — a video

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