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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — final
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pass — a permit
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fine — all right
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. vault — a safe
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — finally
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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