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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. net — for catching
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. march — music
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. vault — a safe
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. march — the month

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