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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. firm — steady
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. track — a path
  9. net — for catching
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pound — a weight
  12. season — in sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. firm — decided
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. firm — a company
  19. season — of the year
  20. track — a song
  21. vault — a safe
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pound — to hit hard

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