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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — the most important part
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fall — the season
  14. dip — to sink
  15. key — in music
  16. face — to confront
  17. key — for a lock
  18. face — part of the head
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. hide — animal skin

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