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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: vault · toast · mate · wake · cell · season · pitcher · deal

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mate — a partner
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mate — a friend
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. season — in sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cell — in biology
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mate — to breed

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