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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — of ice
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — a partner
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cap — a hat
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cap — a lid
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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