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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: mine · chest · vault · cue · toast · squash · root · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chest — a box
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cue — a hint
  8. root — of a word
  9. chest — of your body
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. root — the cause
  18. toast — bread
  19. squash — the sport
  20. vault — a safe
  21. squash — to crush
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mine — for digging

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