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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. net — after costs
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. track — a song
  12. net — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — there
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — a path
  17. vault — a safe
  18. present — the time now
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — a gift

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