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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wake — a trail
  3. charge — electricity
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. season — in sport
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — of the year
  12. cell — in biology
  13. key — in music
  14. charge — a price
  15. key — for a lock
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cell — a phone
  20. key — the most important part
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. charge — in control
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — to add flavour

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