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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. key — in music
  9. press — newspapers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — final
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cold — not warm
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. press — to push
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — music
  19. last — finally
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. last — to go on
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — the tool

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