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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rash — a series
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. rash — hasty
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rash — on the skin

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