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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · stick · vault · chest · march · rash

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — the month
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rash — hasty
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. toast — bread
  13. chest — a box
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rash — a series
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. march — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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