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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — music
  12. content — happy
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. court — of a king
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. content — the amount
  22. bear — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. court — for sport

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