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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: roll · rest · bound · pit · rock · vault · cold · spring

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rest — a break
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spring — of water
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rest — what's left
  12. roll — a list
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rock — music
  22. bound — certain
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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