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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — there
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. present — the time now
  8. bass — the fish
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cell — in biology
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. staff — employees
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. present — a gift
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bass — low music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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