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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — help
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — a partner
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. vault — a safe
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rush — hurry
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kick — with a leg

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