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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. sharp — clever
  12. track — a song
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — child
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bass — the fish
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — low music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cell — in a prison

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