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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. key — the most important part
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — the amount
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. vault — a safe
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. key — for a lock
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cabinet — ministers

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