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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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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bass — low music
  9. club — for golf
  10. cell — in biology
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. can — a tin
  14. club — a group
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — for dancing
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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