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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. present — a gift
  4. last — finally
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. land — a country
  7. shower — to wash
  8. last — to go on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. march — music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — to come down
  16. present — there
  17. land — ground
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — the time now
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. march — the month

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