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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — a practice
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. present — a gift
  6. ball — a dance
  7. drill — the tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. key — for a lock
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — there
  14. key — in music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a great time
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. hand — in cards

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