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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pit — a hole
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pit — in a race
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — wild animals
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mark — a trace
  15. key — for a lock
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. object — an aim
  22. key — in music
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. game — a kind of play

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