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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. march — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mate — to breed
  7. march — the month
  8. net — after costs
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. net — for catching
  12. stand — to bear
  13. net — in sport
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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