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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. root — the cause
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. net — after costs
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bound — tied together
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. last — finally
  15. bound — obliged
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stock — shares
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. root — of a word
  23. band — a music group
  24. bound — certain

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