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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. object — a thing
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. game — a match
  12. key — the most important part
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spring — the season
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — a coil
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. object — to protest
  22. pop — music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. key — in music

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