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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — a safe
  9. game — a match
  10. track — a song
  11. hand — help
  12. net — in sport
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cell — a phone
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. current — electric
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. current — happening now
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. current — of water
  23. net — for catching
  24. track — a path

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