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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. march — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. present — the time now
  7. bulb — for light
  8. present — there
  9. kid — child
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. vault — a safe
  13. sharp — clever
  14. face — to point toward
  15. present — a gift
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. swing — to play on
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. face — to confront

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