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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. key — the most important part
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. key — in music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spring — a coil
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cell — a phone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. row — a line
  18. bound — certain
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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