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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fall — the season
  4. bound — tied together
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rash — a series
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. band — a ring
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — certain
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — hasty
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — obliged
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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