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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — an illness
  7. firm — a company
  8. bound — obliged
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rest — a break
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cold — not warm
  15. spring — the season
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — decided
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a great time
  23. firm — steady
  24. cold — the Cold War

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