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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — finally
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. content — the amount
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — happy
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — shares
  16. band — a ring
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stock — goods
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — to recline
  24. last — to go on

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