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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. capital — money
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. last — final
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. vault — a safe
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. toast — bread
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. last — to go on
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. branch — a division
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bear — the animal

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