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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — obliged
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitch — completely
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cap — a hat
  18. scale — in music
  19. march — music
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bound — certain
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bat — in an idiom

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