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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. key — in music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. object — a thing
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. key — the most important part
  13. object — an aim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. object — to protest
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. drill — army training
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. drill — the tool
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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