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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. squash — the sport
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rule — a law
  13. vault — a safe
  14. hand — help
  15. toast — bread
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. roll — a list
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rock — a stone
  20. roll — a cake
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rule — government
  24. rock — to move gently

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