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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ground — the earth
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spring — a coil
  16. capital — a city
  17. ground — a position
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — tied together
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. capital — money
  23. spring — of water
  24. capital — a big letter

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