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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. net — in sport
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — ground
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. key — in music
  9. field — a subject
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — farmland
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — after costs
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a music group
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. land — a country
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — a leader
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — for catching
  24. chair — to sit on

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