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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. net — for catching
  6. track — a path
  7. net — after costs
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cap — of ice
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a lid
  14. vault — a safe
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to confront
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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