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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. vault — a safe
  18. last — final
  19. march — the month
  20. toast — bread
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. toast — the most admired
  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