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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — in music
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. key — for a lock
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — to visit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. file — a tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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