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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. march — music
  5. object — a thing
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bound — certain
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. content — the amount
  10. chair — a leader
  11. march — the month
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. object — an aim
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bound — tied together
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. content — happy
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. object — to protest
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bound — obliged

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