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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rest — what's left
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. clip — a video
  9. object — to protest
  10. clip — for paper
  11. tear — to rip
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — a break
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rest — what's left
  21. last — final
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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