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

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bass — the fish
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tear — to rip
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fine — high quality
  14. vault — a safe
  15. toast — bread
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — farmland
  20. bound — certain
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. field — a subject

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