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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fall — the season
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. last — to go on
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. last — final
  15. key — the most important part
  16. snap — to click
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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