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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — rain
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — clever
  7. shower — to wash
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — the amount
  10. rest — a break
  11. content — happy
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. key — for a lock
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — a safe
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. key — in music
  24. spell — magic

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