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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. degree — from a university
  4. face — part of the head
  5. vault — a safe
  6. club — a group
  7. face — to point toward
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. content — the amount
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. content — happy
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. toast — bread
  22. degree — temperature
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. face — to confront

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