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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. land — to come down
  6. rash — a series
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. land — ground
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. land — a country
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rash — hasty
  21. march — music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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