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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — clever
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rock — music
  7. toast — bread
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mark — a trace
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. last — to go on
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mark — a grade
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. last — final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. last — finally

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