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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. march — music
  5. bound — certain
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. capital — a city
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — 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