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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. capital — money
  3. shower — rain
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. vault — a safe
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wound — an injury
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. drill — army training
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — in music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. key — the most important part

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