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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind 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. vault — in gymnastics
  3. club — for dancing
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — for golf
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. key — in music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. club — a group
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — for a lock
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitch — completely
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. net — after costs
  24. wake — a trail

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