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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for golf
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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