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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ball — a great time
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. track — a song
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. track — to keep track
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. track — a path
  18. march — music
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stock — goods
  22. ball — a dance
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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