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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — magic
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. toast — bread
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — the time now
  24. toast — the most admired

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