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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · face · pound · straw · present · march

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. march — music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. march — the month
  8. face — to point toward
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. present — there
  16. march — the month
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head

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