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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. key — the most important part
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bass — low music
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — a safe
  16. root — of a word
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. branch — a division
  20. key — for a lock
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cold — an illness
  23. march — music
  24. key — in 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