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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. clip — to cut
  5. field — farmland
  6. present — the time now
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bound — obliged
  15. roll — a cake
  16. field — for sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. roll — a list
  19. present — a gift
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — a subject
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. present — there
  24. safe — out of danger

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