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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pop — soda
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — a hint
  5. vault — a safe
  6. key — for a lock
  7. present — there
  8. pop — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — certain
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bound — obliged
  15. present — the time now
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pop — to visit
  21. present — a gift
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mine — for digging

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