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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — in music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — for digging
  11. land — to come down
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. key — the most important part
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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