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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. track — a path
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rock — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to click
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spring — the season
  24. mine — belonging to me

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