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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. scale — size or range
  4. face — to confront
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. suit — in cards
  9. face — to point toward
  10. march — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. suit — clothes
  18. march — the month
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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