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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. key — for a lock
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spring — of water
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — in sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — the season
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — money
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. vault — a safe

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