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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. vault — a safe
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — the sport
  5. track — a path
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a grade
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. track — a song
  24. branch — a division

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