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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tube — a container
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — the amount
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mine — for digging
  8. sharp — clever
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pop — music
  16. toast — bread
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pop — soda
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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