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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — in a road
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. branch — a division
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of a king
  16. dip — to sink
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rush — hurry
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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