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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. march — music
  11. toast — bread
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — to handle
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rock — a stone
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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