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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a great time
  6. last — final
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. last — to go on
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — finally
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. toast — bread
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ball — a dance

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