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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bound — certain
  4. rash — a series
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — tied together
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — child
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. vault — a safe

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