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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — a city
  6. pass — a permit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. present — there
  9. ball — a great time
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — music
  16. ball — a dance
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. capital — money
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. straw — a straw man

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