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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — finally
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. press — newspapers
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. march — music
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. squash — to crush
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. press — a publisher
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — of the year
  16. squash — the sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. press — to push
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to confront
  22. last — final
  23. season — in sport
  24. face — part of the head

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