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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — magic
  4. object — a thing
  5. content — happy
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. shower — rain
  13. content — the amount
  14. spell — letters
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. march — music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — an aim
  20. rash — hasty
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spell — a short time
  23. object — to protest
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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