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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — not warm
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — final
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fine — all right
  17. cell — in biology
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — to go on
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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