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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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468
Word bank
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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — in golf
  5. kid — child
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — happy
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — a position
  13. toast — bread
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. content — the amount
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ground — the earth
  18. vault — a safe
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — hasty
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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