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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. capital — a city
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. key — in music
  10. capital — money
  11. mate — to breed
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. last — to go on
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. key — the most important part
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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