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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. vault — a safe
  5. court — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. court — of a king
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. court — of law
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bass — low music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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