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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · bay · lie · ground · cold · key · cell · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cold — not warm
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. key — in music
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lie — to recline
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. key — the most important part

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