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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 124 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. scale — in music
  8. court — for sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — music
  12. court — of law
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a grade
  17. court — of a king
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. march — the month

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