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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. key — in music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. content — happy
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. key — the most important part
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. key — for a lock
  20. clip — for paper
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — the season

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