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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — for digging
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. content — the amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wound — an injury
  16. march — music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. content — happy
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cell — in a prison

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