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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. land — to come down
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — certain
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. content — the amount
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. content — happy

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