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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. roll — a cake
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mate — a friend
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. roll — a list
  16. wax — to grow
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. march — music

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