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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mate — to breed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. file — a document
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mate — a friend
  8. last — to go on
  9. file — a tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — final
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — finally
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fan — to cool the air

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