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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — a match
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. vault — a safe
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. game — wild animals
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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