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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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 — the most important part
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kid — child
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. key — in music
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mug — a face
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kid — to tease
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mug — a cup
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. field — farmland
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. field — for sport

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