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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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 — a drink to someone
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pop — music
  4. chest — a box
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. toast — bread
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pop — soda
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  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