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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — a series
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chest — a box
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spring — the season
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  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