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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: deal · vault · content · arm · mate · key · chair · sharp

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. content — the amount
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mate — a friend
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. content — happy
  24. vault — a safe

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