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

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a match
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cold — an illness
  18. season — of the year
  19. vault — a safe
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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