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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cell — a phone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cell — in biology
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cold — an illness

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