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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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Word bank
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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: band · toast · fan · racket · vault · squash · key · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — the most important part
  6. vault — a safe
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. toast — bread
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. key — for a lock
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. key — in music
  21. band — a music group
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hide — animal skin

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