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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. march — the month
  4. season — of the year
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — in sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — after costs
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. march — music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — to come down
  17. lean — thin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — for catching
  24. band — a music group

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