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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · game · pit · leaves · vault · last · fine · calf

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — to go on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — a match
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pit — in a race
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fine — high quality
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fine — all right

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