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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ground — crushed
  3. board — to get on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bass — low music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — bread
  8. ground — a position
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. spell — letters
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — magic
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. board — a committee
  24. chest — of your body

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