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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bound — certain
  3. face — to confront
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. toast — bread
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bass — the fish
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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