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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fall — the season
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitch — completely
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. staff — a stick

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