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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: cell · pass · mark · mine · squash · bound · vault · safe

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cell — a phone
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mark — a grade
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. squash — the vegetable

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