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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. net — in sport
  3. key — the most important part
  4. club — for dancing
  5. present — there
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. club — for golf
  8. kid — child
  9. present — the time now
  10. club — a group
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. key — in music
  16. vault — a safe
  17. file — a tool
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a document
  20. key — for a lock
  21. present — a gift
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kid — to tease
  24. file — a line of people

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