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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. vault — a safe
  5. staff — a stick
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. staff — employees
  12. key — in music
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. land — to come down
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — ground
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. key — for a lock
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bark — to shout

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