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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitch — completely
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — the tool
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. scale — in music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. toast — bread
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. file — a document

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