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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — a price
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. net — for catching
  9. last — to go on
  10. vault — a safe
  11. scale — size or range
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — finally
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. prune — to trim
  19. charge — electricity
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — in control

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