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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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468
Word bank
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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — certain
  5. club — for golf
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cell — a phone
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for dancing

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