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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — for a lock
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. key — in music
  9. charge — electricity
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — for digging
  12. charge — in control
  13. rash — hasty
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rash — a series
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cold — an illness
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. charge — a price
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cold — not warm

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