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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: staff · rest · toast · vault · squash · deal · cell · wake

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. toast — bread
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. vault — a safe
  10. staff — employees
  11. deal — to handle
  12. squash — to crush
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rest — what's left
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. deal — an agreement

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