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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. march — the month
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bound — certain
  9. present — there
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. present — a gift
  12. mate — a partner
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — happy
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. club — for golf
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a friend
  21. club — a group
  22. present — the time now
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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