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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: toast · wind · vault · plane · pitch · clip · jam · rest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. toast — bread
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rest — a break
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rest — what's left
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. jam — a tight spot

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