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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. spell — letters
  3. bound — obliged
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — tied together
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — certain
  16. spell — a short time
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a line
  23. net — in sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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