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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. club — for dancing
  5. key — in music
  6. cold — an illness
  7. key — the most important part
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. club — a group
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pit — a hole

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