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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pit — in a race
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. toast — bread
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rock — a stone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. vault — a safe
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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