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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. vault — a safe
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. row — to paddle
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bound — obliged
  15. row — a line
  16. march — the month
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. march — music
  19. rule — a law
  20. bound — certain
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. band — a ring
  24. rule — government

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