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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pop — to visit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — in sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — after costs
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pop — soda
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. march — the month
  22. net — for catching
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. safe — a strongbox

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