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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — to come from
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. mug — a cup
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mug — to rob
  21. season — of the year
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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