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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — the most important part
  7. season — in sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kid — child
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — to drill
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — in music
  19. season — of the year
  20. tear — to rip
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — hurry

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