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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: mine · pitcher · vault · ball · toast · scale · prune · jam

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. toast — bread
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mine — for digging
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. scale — in music
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. vault — a safe

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