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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. band — a music group
  4. firm — decided
  5. root — the cause
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. firm — steady
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — farmland
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. firm — a company
  21. band — a ring
  22. root — of a word
  23. field — for sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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