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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — after costs
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ball — a great time
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to click
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a dance
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. net — for catching
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bank — for money

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