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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bound — certain
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bound — obliged
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — tied together
  15. scale — size or range
  16. vault — a safe
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — the sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. scale — in music
  24. sharp — exactly

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