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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — certain
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. key — in music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bound — obliged
  19. land — ground
  20. face — part of the head
  21. land — a country
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. vault — a safe

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