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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chest — a box
  4. rule — government
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hand — in cards
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. dip — to sink

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