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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pit — a hole
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. hand — help
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. land — a country
  7. root — of a plant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — in cards
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. root — the cause
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. land — to come down
  16. pit — in a race
  17. toast — bread
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — to point toward
  20. land — ground
  21. face — part of the head
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. vault — a safe
  24. hand — part of the body

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