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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — not warm
  3. key — for a lock
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. vault — a safe
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mate — to breed
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mate — a friend
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cold — the Cold War

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