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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tube — the underground
  5. key — the most important part
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fall — the season
  11. toast — bread
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. key — for a lock
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. key — in music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fork — in a road
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fall — to drop

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