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

Word bank: vault · cell · bowl · firm · bound · chest · mate · date

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chest — of your body
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — to breed
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mate — a partner
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — a friend
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — a box
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bowl — a football final

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