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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rash — a series
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — on the skin

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