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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. roll — a list
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. roll — a cake
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — the time now
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. present — a gift
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — there
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. vault — a safe

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