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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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — of law
  5. pit — in a race
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. march — music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kid — child
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — a safe
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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