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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — a grade
  3. vault — a safe
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — to go on
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. last — final
  8. mark — a trace
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. patient — a sick person

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