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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. spring — the season
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. race — humankind
  5. cell — in biology
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. roll — a list
  9. spring — a coil
  10. roll — a cake
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. race — a contest
  13. spring — of water
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. race — the arms race
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. vault — a safe
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — bread

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