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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: saw · key · shower · vault · straw · object · current · cold

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. cold — an illness
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. key — in music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. object — an aim
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. object — a thing
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — rain
  22. current — electric
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. current — of water

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