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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the fish
  8. plane — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bass — low music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fall — the season
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fall — to drop
  24. march — music

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