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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. key — in music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. vault — a safe
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ball — a great time
  9. key — for a lock
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — farmland
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — rain
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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