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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — in sport
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — to come down
  8. object — an aim
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — for catching
  11. bound — tied together
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. march — the month
  14. land — ground
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. march — music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. band — a music group
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. band — a ring
  24. land — a country

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