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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. march — the month
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — the underground
  7. present — there
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. last — final
  18. present — a gift
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wax — to grow
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — finally
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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