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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — for money
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kid — child
  19. vault — a safe
  20. kid — to tease
  21. branch — a division
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. face — to confront
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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