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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. track — a song
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bound — certain
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bound — obliged
  12. branch — a division
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — the earth
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. track — to keep track
  21. vault — a safe
  22. game — a match
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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