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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. hand — help
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mug — a face
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — letters
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. key — in music
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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