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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — a stick
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — a cake
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. march — the month
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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