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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lean — to bend
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. key — in music
  5. mug — a face
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. race — humankind
  15. lean — thin
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — for a lock
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mine — for digging
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. race — a contest

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