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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fine — all right
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. toast — bread
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bulb — for light
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — a phone
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. foot — the bottom

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