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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chest — a box
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fine — all right
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. content — happy
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — the amount
  24. fine — high quality

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