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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: vault · pop · deal · fine · wind · ball · toast · rock

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. toast — bread
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pop — to visit
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — music
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — high quality
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pop — soda
  14. rock — a stone
  15. fine — all right
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ball — a great time
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. vault — a safe
  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