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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 · content · ruler · march · cell · plane · vault · straw

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. march — music
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cell — a phone
  22. toast — bread
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. toast — the most admired

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