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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — soda
  6. cue — a hint
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spring — a coil
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. season — of the year
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pop — music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pop — to visit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — army training

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