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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rock — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. march — music
  6. face — to confront
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — the month
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — final
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. last — finally
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. last — to go on
  20. court — for sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. court — of law

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