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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tube — a container
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. drill — army training
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. capital — money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. tube — the underground
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. drill — the tool
  15. date — the fruit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. capital — a city
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. arm — 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