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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. ground — a position
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cell — in biology
  8. file — a tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kid — child
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a document
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — to confront
  23. key — in music
  24. face — to point toward

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