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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lie — to recline
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. firm — decided
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — a division
  10. squash — the sport
  11. march — the month
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — temperature
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — from a university
  19. march — music
  20. firm — steady
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — a company

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