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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bank — for money
  6. bound — obliged
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bound — certain
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mine — for digging
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bank — of a river
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. vault — a safe
  21. roll — a list
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bank — for money

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