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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. field — a subject
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — ground
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — the season
  10. land — to come down
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. club — for golf
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — a group
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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