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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · bay · vault · bound · fine · racket

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — for digging
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fine — all right
  12. bound — tied together
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain

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