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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — to play on
  3. object — an aim
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. object — to protest
  7. bound — certain
  8. object — a thing
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — goods
  16. ground — a position
  17. stock — shares
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bound — tied together
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. degree — an amount

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