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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — a friend
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pit — a hole
  14. current — happening now
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. current — electric
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mate — a partner
  20. current — of water
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pit — in a race
  24. band — a music group

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