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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rule — a law
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. key — in music
  10. last — final
  11. hand — help
  12. rule — government
  13. pitch — completely
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. last — finally
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rule — to rule out

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