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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. scale — in music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — music
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. bank — of a river
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — a safe
  20. sharp — clever
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. scale — size or range
  24. content — happy

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