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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rule — a law
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — government
  19. staff — employees
  20. ground — a position
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. staff — employees
  23. key — in music
  24. shower — to wash

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