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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bark — to shout
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. march — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fine — high quality
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. deal — to handle
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. straw — dry grass

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