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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bat — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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