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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pop — music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — a country
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — final
  10. key — in music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — for a lock
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. present — a gift
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — to come down
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. present — the time now
  20. land — ground
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. pop — soda
  24. present — there

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