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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. march — the month
  3. season — of the year
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wound — an injury
  7. swing — in golf
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. march — music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chest — of your body
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. swing — music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. march — the month
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. capital — money

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