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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — part of the head
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the sport
  8. key — in music
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. face — to confront
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — a safe
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — of water
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. face — to point toward

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