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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. roll — a list
  13. vault — a safe
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. march — music

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