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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cell — a phone
  6. race — a contest
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cell — in biology
  10. toast — bread
  11. race — humankind
  12. cap — of ice
  13. race — the arms race
  14. shower — rain
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mark — a grade
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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