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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. file — a tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. swing — in golf
  7. vault — a safe
  8. file — a document
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pop — soda
  12. swing — music
  13. root — of a word
  14. mate — a partner
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. swing — to play on
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mate — a friend

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