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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. toast — bread
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — completely
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. band — a ring
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. band — a music group
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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