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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 124 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. key — in music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. object — to protest
  12. degree — temperature
  13. object — a thing
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — for a lock
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. squash — the sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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