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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 was ________________ to happen.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. vault — a safe
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — after costs
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — of water

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