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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. key — for a lock
  3. prune — to trim
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. key — in music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — a hat
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. chair — a leader
  19. dip — to sink
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. dip — to dunk

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