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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 are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. date — the fruit
  10. scale — in music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bound — obliged
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bound — tied together
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cell — a phone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bound — certain

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