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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. last — finally
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. chest — a box
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fine — all right
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. club — for golf
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pop — to visit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. club — a group

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