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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · last · object · perch · arm · vault · chest · cold

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. perch — the fish
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. object — to protest
  10. last — final
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — to go on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chest — a box
  18. object — a thing
  19. cold — an illness
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. last — finally
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — not warm

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