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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — in music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. track — a path
  12. mug — a face
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. capital — money
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. bat — for baseball

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