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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — music
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — a box
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bat — the animal
  24. march — the month

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