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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ground — crushed
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — a hole
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — a straw man

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