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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.

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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. key — for a lock
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. key — the most important part
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. face — part of the head
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — the amount
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hide — animal skin

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