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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spell — magic
  3. key — for a lock
  4. scale — in music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. scale — size or range
  13. key — in music
  14. fall — the season
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — in sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — a safe

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