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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — for sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — of a king
  16. track — a song
  17. court — of law
  18. pit — in a race
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — of water
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — in sport
  23. spring — a coil
  24. track — a path

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