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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — in football
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. land — to come down
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. land — ground
  15. cell — in biology
  16. vault — a safe
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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