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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. last — to go on
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. root — the cause
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bore — to tire
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lean — thin
  24. last — final

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