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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: calf · snap · march · rule · vault · row · charge · bat

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — a price
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. row — to paddle
  14. charge — in control
  15. rule — government
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rule — a law
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bat — the animal

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