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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. track — a song
  9. object — an aim
  10. track — a path
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — to keep track
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. rule — government
  17. object — a thing
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — a law

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