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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. last — final
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — hurry
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. last — to go on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. roll — a list
  15. vault — a safe
  16. toast — bread
  17. last — finally
  18. bound — obliged
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. roll — a cake
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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