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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. march — the month
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. firm — decided
  8. face — to point toward
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — wild animals
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. can — to be able to
  24. face — part of the head

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