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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — to paddle
  5. face — to confront
  6. band — a music group
  7. row — a line
  8. face — part of the head
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mine — for digging
  18. band — a ring
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bound — certain
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bound — obliged

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