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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. ball — a dance
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ground — crushed
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. key — in music
  19. toast — bread
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ground — a position

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