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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — hasty
  7. root — the cause
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — a committee
  10. spring — of water
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — a safe
  13. board — to get on
  14. net — in sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. root — of a word
  17. toast — bread
  18. net — after costs
  19. rash — a series
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. root — of a plant
  23. net — for catching
  24. board — a flat piece

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