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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ground — a position
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — a division
  6. present — the time now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. present — there
  11. ground — crushed
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cell — a phone
  17. present — a gift
  18. rule — a law
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — certain
  22. rule — government
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cell — in biology

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