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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. current — happening now
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — low music
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bound — obliged
  17. land — a country
  18. current — electric
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bound — tied together
  21. track — a path
  22. current — of water
  23. land — to come down
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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