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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chest — a box
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chest — of your body
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — for money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — after costs
  21. cap — a lid
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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