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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. roll — a list
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — final
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pound — a weight
  13. toast — bread
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. content — the amount
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. roll — a cake
  23. content — happy
  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