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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — low music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — a coil
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — soda
  18. spring — of water
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pop — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. staff — a stick

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