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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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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 · object · field · row · vault · chest · face · leaves

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — a subject
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. face — to point toward
  13. row — to paddle
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — farmland
  16. key — in music
  17. field — for sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. object — a thing
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — part of the head
  23. row — a line
  24. face — to confront

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