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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — obliged
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bound — certain
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — a safe
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. patient — a sick person
  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