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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. last — finally
  5. current — happening now
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cold — an illness
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. scale — size or range
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. current — of water
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. current — electric
  19. rush — hurry
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. scale — in music
  22. last — final
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — for weighing

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