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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fine — high quality
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — a practice
  9. march — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fine — all right
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. staff — a stick
  16. drill — army training
  17. march — the month
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. staff — employees
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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