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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. last — to go on
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — finally
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — to confront
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cue — for pool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cue — a hint
  20. last — final
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — to point toward

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