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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — after costs
  7. bass — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bass — low music
  11. court — of law
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bat — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — in sport
  19. dip — to sink
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. court — for sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. court — of a king

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