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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. march — the month
  9. net — after costs
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — for catching
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fine — all right
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — high quality
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — in sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. vault — a safe

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