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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. roll — a list
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — a price
  6. snap — to click
  7. charge — in control
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. field — for sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — to recline
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. vault — a safe
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — a subject
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. field — farmland
  22. tube — a container
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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