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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. face — to point toward
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. face — part of the head
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — a grade
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — for catching
  10. face — to confront
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — army training
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mark — a trace
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kid — child
  21. vault — a safe
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. net — in sport

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