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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — the month
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — to go on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. last — finally
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — final
  24. coach — a trainer

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