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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: fine · vault · race · season · key · row · pit · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. key — the most important part
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fine — all right
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fine — high quality
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. race — a contest
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. key — in music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. season — of the year
  21. key — for a lock
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. race — the arms race

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