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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — a safe
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — obliged
  13. land — ground
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — certain
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. game — a match
  19. land — a country
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chest — a box
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chest — of your body

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