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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — a subject
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — there
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. spring — of water
  12. vault — a safe
  13. present — a gift
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — the time now
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lean — thin
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — to bend
  21. key — in music
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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