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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — final
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — finally
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cell — a phone
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. craft — boats
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — to go on

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