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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. march — music
  3. present — the time now
  4. squash — the sport
  5. present — there
  6. ground — the earth
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — a position
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. shower — rain
  12. march — the month
  13. key — in music
  14. present — a gift
  15. squash — to crush
  16. vault — a safe
  17. key — for a lock
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ground — crushed
  20. scale — in music
  21. shower — to wash
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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