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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. track — a song
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a path
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. march — the month
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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