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

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — to go on
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — finally
  7. toast — bread
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — final
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bank — of a river
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — letters
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — a safe

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