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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. face — part of the head
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. court — of law
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. court — of a king
  13. spell — letters
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. court — for sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. squash — to crush
  23. face — to point toward
  24. squash — the sport

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