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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. root — the cause
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ground — a position
  8. ball — a dance
  9. band — a music group
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — crushed
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — a video
  20. ground — the earth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — the tool

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