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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — for a lock
  7. field — farmland
  8. cap — a lid
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mug — a cup
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cap — a hat
  17. snap — to click
  18. mug — to rob
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a face
  21. key — in music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. vault — a safe

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