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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — a phone
  3. snap — to click
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — in music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. key — the most important part
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. key — for a lock
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bass — low music
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bass — the instrument

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