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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. vault — a safe
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rest — a break
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — to go away

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