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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ground — crushed
  3. vault — a safe
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. band — a ring
  11. mate — to breed
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mate — a friend
  18. key — in music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to click
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — for a lock

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