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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — for catching
  8. cell — a phone
  9. band — a ring
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — a hat
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bank — of a river
  18. swing — in golf
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. net — in sport

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