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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. band — a ring
  2. staff — employees
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. object — to protest
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. object — a thing
  7. staff — employees
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — a safe
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — an aim
  15. rest — a break
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rest — what's left
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rest — what's left
  22. toast — bread
  23. cold — an illness
  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