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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rush — hurry
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. key — in music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — a thrill

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