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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. spell — letters
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cell — a phone
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. track — a path
  17. last — finally
  18. track — a song
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. key — in music

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