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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: plane · date · march · vault · straw · last · season · squash

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. season — of the year
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. date — the fruit
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. vault — a safe
  24. last — final

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