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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — music
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. swing — to play on
  9. tear — to rip
  10. drill — a practice
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tear — from crying
  16. vault — a safe
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. drill — army training
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. key — in music
  24. fine — all right

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