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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bound — certain
  5. vault — a safe
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cap — a hat
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bound — obliged
  14. file — a line of people
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cap — a lid
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rush — a thrill

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