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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. vault — a safe
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. row — a line
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rule — government
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. key — the most important part
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — the season
  12. key — for a lock
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spring — of water
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. spring — a coil
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — a law
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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