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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. scale — size or range
  4. vault — a safe
  5. scale — in music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — an injury
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — a contest
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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