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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. march — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — a safe
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — ground
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — for sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. march — the month

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