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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. march — the month
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fall — the season
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. march — the month
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wind — moving air

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