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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — not warm
  3. key — in music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cold — an illness
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hand — help
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — for sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hand — in cards

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