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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — a video
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — help
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — the most important part
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — a break
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. vault — a safe
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. nail — for a hammer

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