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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — of water
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. press — newspapers
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. current — happening now
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — tied together
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fine — high quality
  21. press — to push
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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