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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. kid — child
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. kid — to tease
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. charge — electricity
  8. last — finally
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — in biology
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bound — certain
  18. ground — a position
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cell — a phone

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