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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — a short time
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — magic
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. last — final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — to go on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bat — the animal
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — moving air
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bound — tied together
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — certain
  24. bat — in an idiom

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