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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. land — to come down
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — hurry
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. land — a country
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bound — certain
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stock — goods
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. track — a song

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