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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spell — a short time
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. club — for golf
  8. spell — magic
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — letters
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rest — a break
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rest — what's left
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. club — a group

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