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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. last — finally
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bound — certain
  5. key — in music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. last — final
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. key — the most important part
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — to go on
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — lets stay

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