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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — for a lock
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — to visit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. saw — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — the most important part
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. key — in music
  20. pop — soda
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pop — music

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