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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. drill — army training
  12. pit — a hole
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. drill — the tool
  18. vault — a safe
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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