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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: straw · pit · wave · net · deal · bound · spell · vault

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — a short time
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bound — certain
  7. net — for catching
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spell — magic
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spell — letters
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. net — after costs
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. vault — a safe
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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