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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. vault — a safe
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — finally
  7. rock — music
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — of a word
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — final
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. root — the cause

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