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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bank — of a river
  3. vault — a safe
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mine — for digging
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. march — music
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bank — for money
  16. roll — a cake
  17. toast — bread
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — a practice
  20. roll — a list
  21. bank — for money
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — belonging to me

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