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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — a trace
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a dance
  9. net — in sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. net — after costs
  19. mark — a grade
  20. charge — in control
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pit — in a race
  24. vault — a safe

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