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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. capital — money
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. season — of the year
  7. vault — a safe
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — a city
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fine — all right
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — in sport
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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