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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. craft — a skill
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. can — a tin
  14. craft — boats
  15. chair — a leader
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — to rip
  20. can — to be able to
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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