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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — ground
  4. present — a gift
  5. land — to come down
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — the month
  8. row — to paddle
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stand — to bear
  13. vault — a safe
  14. clip — a video
  15. present — there
  16. march — music
  17. clip — for paper
  18. row — a line
  19. clip — to cut
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. row — a quarrel

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