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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — a position
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — from crying

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