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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cap — of ice
  3. vault — a safe
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — a series
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — a division
  17. squash — to crush
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rash — hasty
  22. march — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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