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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. march — music
  3. rock — music
  4. land — to come down
  5. present — the time now
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — ground
  8. cue — a signal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. present — there
  14. cue — a hint
  15. march — the month
  16. track — a path
  17. present — a gift
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cue — for pool
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. land — a country
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — a stone

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