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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 116 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. The water is too ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mark — a grade
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — a trace
  11. net — in sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fine — all right
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. stem — to come from

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