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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. key — in music
  13. last — final
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. key — for a lock

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