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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. content — the amount
  3. bore — to tire
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. track — a path
  10. vault — a safe
  11. toast — bread
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. track — a song
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rock — music

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