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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. tear — from crying
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. degree — an amount
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. tear — from crying
  17. vault — a safe
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — a thrill
  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