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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 · tear · vault · chest · pit · face · cabinet · rest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — a box
  9. tear — from crying
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rest — what's left
  16. key — in music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. face — to point toward

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