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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. band — a music group
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. vault — a safe
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. key — in music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. season — of the year
  16. game — a match
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. hand — in cards
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — help
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. game — a kind of play

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