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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. suit — clothes
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — to recline
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — the season
  17. bound — certain
  18. vault — a safe
  19. club — for golf
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. club — a group

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