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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cold — an illness
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — goods
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. key — in music
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stock — shares
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — a hint

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