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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fall — the season
  10. vault — a safe
  11. key — in music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a music group
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a ring

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