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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rock — music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — final
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — finally
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — a stone
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. spring — a coil
  20. vault — a safe
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spring — of water
  23. capital — money
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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