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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rock — a stone
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rock — music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — a path

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