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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — for golf
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. bulb — for light
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — farmland
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — a subject
  18. foot — a measure
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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