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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. object — an aim
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. row — a line
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a line of people
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. file — a document
  18. row — to paddle
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. snap — to click
  21. root — the cause
  22. file — a tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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