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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: key · mine · cold · deal · vault · fork · snap · temple

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — for a lock
  13. snap — to click
  14. fork — in a road
  15. vault — a safe
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. key — the most important part
  24. deal — an agreement

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