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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. net — after costs
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. net — for catching
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mug — a face
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bark — to shout
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. net — in sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. mug — to rob
  23. current — of water
  24. face — part of the head

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