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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. net — after costs
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — for catching
  5. bank — for money
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. last — final
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. last — to go on
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bank — of a river
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — in sport
  24. tube — the underground

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