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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. board — to get on
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. drill — the tool
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. key — for a lock
  16. board — a committee
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. key — in music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cap — a lid
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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