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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. march — music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cue — a signal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. march — the month
  8. present — a gift
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — finally
  11. present — the time now
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. present — there
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. band — a music group
  21. cue — for pool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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