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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spring — a coil
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spring — the season
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — a subject
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — of water
  18. bound — certain
  19. swing — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. game — a match
  22. mark — a grade
  23. swing — to play on
  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