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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. can — a tin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. field — farmland
  24. cue — for pool

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