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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. land — to come down
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chest — a box
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. land — ground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — a country
  24. perch — the fish

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