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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. spring — of water
  4. file — a line of people
  5. vault — a safe
  6. net — for catching
  7. bass — the fish
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — the season
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bear — the animal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bass — low music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. file — a document
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. file — a tool
  19. net — after costs
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bear — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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