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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. object — an aim
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. object — a thing
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. staff — a stick
  10. object — to protest
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. staff — employees
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a music group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. capital — money
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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