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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ground — a position
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bound — certain
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lie — an untruth

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