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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. present — a gift
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cold — an illness
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — of the year
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. toast — bread
  14. spell — magic
  15. present — there
  16. cold — not warm
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rash — hasty
  19. present — the time now
  20. rash — a series
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. season — in sport

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