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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — in football
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. rock — music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — a stone
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bound — obliged

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