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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — happy
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — a measure
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pop — soda
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. foot — part of the body

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