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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cold — an illness
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cold — not warm
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. vault — a safe
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — of ice
  22. scale — in music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bank — for money

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