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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bound — certain
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mate — a partner
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mate — a friend
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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