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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. bound — certain
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — the month
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. march — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bound — obliged
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. vault — a safe
  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