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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. present — a gift
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cap — a hat
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. present — there
  11. net — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. vault — a safe
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. present — the time now
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — for catching
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. key — in music

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