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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — part of the head
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — music
  7. scale — in music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wax — to grow
  11. march — the month
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — to confront
  18. mate — to breed
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. last — final
  24. scale — size or range

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