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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — certain
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — all right
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fine — high quality
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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