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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. suit — to fit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. suit — clothes
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. court — for sport
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. vault — a safe
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a ring
  23. suit — in cards
  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