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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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. vault — in gymnastics
  4. net — in sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. key — in music
  9. toast — bread
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the sport
  14. key — the most important part
  15. net — after costs
  16. squash — to crush
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — a subject
  24. vault — a safe

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